Frame and binding for a snowshoe, and related systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A snowshoe includes a lightweight frame that provides traction and maintains the snowshoe&#39;s shape when traveling over at least one of the following surfaces: snow, hard-packed snow and ice, and a binding to fasten the snowshoe to a boot with a gloved hand. The frame includes a peripheral component having a length, a height orthogonal to the length, and a width orthogonal to the height and at least two times shorter than the height at all locations along the height. The binding includes a strap, and a retention element coupleable with the strap. The retention element includes a body defining a main passage in which the strap is disposed when coupled with the retention element, an access passage through which the strap passes to enter the main passage, and a locking element to secure the strap to the retention element.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of the PCT Application No.PCT/US04/02845, titled FRAME AND BINDING FOR A SNOWSHOE, AND RELATEDSYSTEMS AND METHODS, and filed 29 Jan. 2004, which is hereinincorporated by reference, that claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/444,331, titled WhiteLitening Snowshoe, andfiled 30 Jan. 2003. This application claims the benefit of the filingdate of the PCT application under 35 USC §120. This application alsoclaims priority from the U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/444,331, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Many people use snowshoes to facilitate travel in ruggedbackcountry during the winter when snow typically blankets the terrain.Depending on the latitude and elevation of the backcountry, snow canfrequently accumulate to a depth of a foot or more. At such depthstravel can be very difficult because one's foot typically penetrates thesnow a foot or more, which causes one to spend much energy lifting one'sfoot out of the hole to take another step. Thus, many people mount asnowshoe to each foot when traveling such terrain to buoy one's foottoward the surface of the snow, i.e. prevent one's foot from penetratingthe snow more than about six inches.

[0003]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional snowshoe 10. Thesnowshoe 10 includes a deck 12 to disperse one's weight over an area ofthe snow's surface (not shown) that is larger than the area of one'sfootprint, and a frame 14 to support one's weight and to prevent thedeck from substantially deforming when dispersing one's weight. The deck12 is typically fastened to the frame 14 by wrapping a tab 16 of thedeck 12 around a portion of the frame 14 as shown in FIG. 2 andfastening the tab 16 to the frame 14. The frame's cross-section istypically round, and may be hollow such as a tube's as shown in FIG. 2,or solid, such as bar's, to provide the frame 14 with the desiredstrength and stiffness to support one's weight and to prevent the deck12 from deforming. The snowshoe 10 also includes a binding 18 to fastenthe snowshoe 10 to the boot (not shown) on one's foot. The binding 18 istypically mounted to the frame 14 and includes a strap 20 and buckle 22that can be releasably coupled together to allow one to securely fastenand remove the snowshoe 10 from one's boot. The strap 20 and buckle 22also allow one to fasten the snowshoe 10 to different sized boots.

[0004] Unfortunately, the snowshoe 10 has some problems. Although thesnowshoe 10 may work well in powder snow, the snowshoe 10 often fails toprovide sufficient traction for traveling over snow, hard-packed snowand ice. When traveling over snow, hard-packed snow and ice the frame 14often fails to penetrate the surface, and thus much of the snowshoe'scontact with the surface is made with the frame 14. Because the frame 14has a round or square cross-section, the frame 14 can easily slideacross the surface, which makes traversing across a hill's slope,ascending a hill or descending a hill difficult when the surface of thehill includes snow, hard-packed snow or ice.

[0005] Another problem with the snowshoe 10 is that the binding 18 isoften difficult to operate with gloved hands. To fasten the snowshoe 10to one's boot, one may remove the strap 20 from the buckle 22 to allowone to easily drop one's boot into the binding 18. But one must thenthread the strap 20 back through the buckle 22 to fasten the snowshoe 10to the boot. With gloved hands this is often difficult and frustrating.Another way to fasten the snowshoe 10 to one's boot may be to move thebuckle 22 toward the end of the strap 20 without removing the buckle 22from the strap 20. But one must then slide one's boot into the binding16. This is often difficult and frustrating because the strap having thebuckle 22 may snag on one's boots and gators that are often worn withsnowshoes.

SUMMARY

[0006] In one aspect of the invention, a frame for a snowshoe includes aperipheral component that provides traction and maintains the snowshoe'sshape when traveling over at least one of the following surfaces: snow,hard-packed snow and ice. The peripheral component includes a length, aheight orthogonal to the length, and a width orthogonal to the heightand at least two times shorter than the height at all locations alongthe height. With a width that is at least 2 times shorter than theheight, the peripheral component can provide a contact surface onhard-packed snow or ice that is less than the contact surface providedby conventional snowshoe frames, and thus provide traction. And theperipheral component can prevent the snowshoe from substantiallydeforming when one uses the snowshoe to travel over at least one of thefollowing surfaces, snow, hard-packed snow and ice. In addition, theperipheral component allows the frame to be lighter than conventionalsnowshoe frames.

[0007] In another aspect of the invention, the frame may include across-member component to support the peripheral component. Thecross-member component may extend from a first portion of the peripheralcomponent toward a second portion of the peripheral component.Alternatively or additionally, the frame may include a stiffener thatmay include a curved region of the peripheral component to stiffen theperipheral component.

[0008] In yet another aspect of the invention, a binding for a snowshoeincludes a strap, and a retention element coupleable with the strap tofasten the snowshoe to a boot. The retention element includes a bodydefining a main passage in which the strap is disposed when coupled withthe retention element, an access passage through which the strap passesto enter the main passage, and a locking element to secure the strap tothe retention element. With the access passage, the strap may be easilyinserted into the main passage with a gloved hand to couple theretention element with the strap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional snowshoe.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a cross-section of a portion of the frame and deckincorporated in the snowshoe of FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 3a is a perspective, partially exploded view of a snowshoeincorporating a frame and a binding according to an embodiment of theinvention.

[0012]FIG. 3b is a perspective view of an anchor incorporated in thebinding in FIG. 3a, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0013]FIG. 3c is a cross-sectional view of the anchor in FIG. 3b,according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the frame incorporated in thesnowshoe of FIG. 3, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0015]FIG. 5 is a side view of the snowshoe in FIG. 3.

[0016]FIG. 6 is a plan view of a deck clip incorporated in the snowshoeof FIG. 3.

[0017]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a frame according to anotherembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following discussion is presented to enable one skilled inthe art to make and use the invention. Various modifications to thedisclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart, and the generic principles herein may be applied to otherembodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus, thepresent invention is not intended to be limited to the embodimentsshown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with theprinciples and features disclosed herein.

[0019]FIG. 3 is a perspective, partially exploded view of a snowshoe 30incorporating a frame 32 and a binding 34 according to an embodiment ofthe invention. The frame 32 provides traction and maintains thesnowshoe's shape when traveling over at least one of the followingsurfaces (not shown): snow, hard-packed snow and ice. Thus, one may usethe snowshoe 30 to traverse terrain that includes at least one of thesesurfaces. For example, one may use the snowshoe 30 to traverse across anicy slope of a hill, to ascend an icy slope of a hill, or to descend anicy slope of a hill. The binding 34 (discussed in greater detailelsewhere in conjunction with FIG. 3) includes a strap 36 and aretention element 40 that allows one to couple the strap 36 with theretention element 40 and to uncouple the strap 36 from the retentionelement 40, without removing one's gloves. Thus, one may easily fastenand release the snowshoe 30 to and from one's boot.

[0020] The frame 32 includes a peripheral component 42 having a geometry(discussed in greater detail in conjunction with FIG. 4) that provides acontact surface 44 on hard-packed snow or ice that is less than thecontact surface provided by conventional snowshoe frames, and thusprovides traction. In addition, the peripheral component's geometryprevents the snowshoe 30 from substantially deforming when one uses thesnowshoe 30 to traverse snowy or icy terrain. The frame 32 may alsoinclude a cross-member component 46 (discussed in greater detail inconjunction with FIG. 4) to support the peripheral component 42, or theframe 32 may not. Alternatively or additionally, the frame 32 mayinclude a stiffener (not shown but discussed in greater detail inconjunction with FIG. 7) to stiffen the peripheral component 42; or theframe 32 may not.

[0021] The strap 36 of the binding 34 is couplable with the retentionelement 40 to fasten the snowshoe 30 to a boot. The retention element 40includes a body 48 that defines a main passage 50 in which the strap 36is disposed when the strap 36 is coupled with the retention element 40;an access passage 52 through which the strap 36 may pass when oneinserts the strap 36 into the main passage 50, and a locking element 54to secure the strap 36 to the retention element 40.

[0022] In one embodiment, the binding 34 may encircle a portion of one'sboot to fasten the snowshoe 30 to the boot. The binding 34 may include amatt 56, a first strap 36 a that extends from the matt 56 and a secondstrap 36 b that also extends from the matt 56. The binding 34 may alsoinclude a first retention element 54 a that may be coupled with thestrap 36 a to fasten the snowshoe 30 to a boot, and a second retentionelement 54 b that may be coupled with the strap 36 b to fasten thesnowshoe 30 to a boot. Each retention element 54 a and 54 b may includea respective body 48 a and 48 b that includes a hook and from which arespective locking element 54 a and 54 b extends.

[0023] In operation, one may fasten the snowshoe 30 to one's boot bypositioning the straps 36 a and 36 b to extend away from theirrespective retention element 40 a and 40 b. Then, one may place one'sboot into the binding by stepping onto the matt 56. Next, one may insertthe strap 36 a through the access passage 52A of the retention element40 a to position the strap 36 a in the main passage 50A. Next, one maypull on the end 57 a of the strap 36 a to tighten the strap 36 a andmatt 56 around a portion of one's boot. Then, one may insert the lockingelement 54A through a hole 58 in the strap 36 a to secure the strap 36 ato the retention element 40 a as shown by the coupling of the strap 36 band retention element 40 b in FIG. 3. With the locking element 54Aextending through a hole 57 in the strap 36 a, the locking element 54 aprevents the strap 36 a from sliding relative to the retention element40 a. To release the strap 36 a from the retention element 40 a, onewithdraws the locking element 54A from the hole 57 and removes the strap36 a from the main passage 50A. The strap 36 b and retention element 40b may also be coupled and uncoupled in a similar manner to fasten andrelease the snowshoe 30 to one's boot.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 3b and 3 c as well as FIG. 3a, the binding 34may also include an anchor 144 to fasten the strap 36 a to the matt 56.The anchor 144 helps position the strap 36 a to extend away from theretention element 40 a, and thus facilitates fastening and releasingone's boot from the snowshoe as discussed above. In addition, the anchor144 allows one to easily adjust the length of the strap 36 a that onemay use to couple with the retention element 40. In one embodiment, theanchor 144 includes a first passage 148, a second passage 150 and aprotrusion 152 to prevent the strap 36 a from moving in the X direction.To fasten the strap 36 a to the matt 56, one inserts the end 146 athrough the first passage 148, around the protrusion 152 and through thesecond passage 150. Then, one aligns the protrusion 152 with a desiredone of the strap's holes 58 and inserts the protrusion 152 into the hole58. With the protrusion inserted into the hole 58 the strap 36 a isprevented from moving in the X direction. The binding 34 may includeadditional anchors 144 to fasten respective other straps, such as strap36 b.

[0025] Still referring to FIG. 3, the snowshoe 30 may also include adeck 60 to buoy the snowshoe 30 on a surface of snow. In one embodiment,the deck 60 may be made of any desired material and may be coupled withthe peripheral component 42 using any desired fastening technique. Forexample, the deck 60 may be made of a flexible material such asurethane-coated nylon or other plastic coated cloths, and deck clips 62(discussed in greater detail in conjunction with FIG. 6) may couple thedeck 60 with the peripheral component 42. In other embodiments, the deck60 may be made of a stiff material such as hard plastic or metal, andconventional fasteners such as rivets, bolts or adhesives may couple thedeck 60 with the peripheral component 42.

[0026] The snowshoe 30 may also include a crampon 64 to improve thesnowshoe's traction and to provide a mount for the binding 34. In oneembodiment, the crampon 64 may include a protrusion 66 to contact thesurface of the terrain. The crampon 64 may also be pivotally mounted tothe cross-member component 46 (discussed in greater detail inconjunction with FIG. 4), and the binding 34 may be mounted to thecrampon 64 using any desired fastening technique. For example, thebinding 34 may be mounted to the crampon 64 with rivets 68. In otherembodiments, the crampon may be pivotally mounted to the deck 60 usingany desired fastening technique such as a strap. This may be desirablewhen the deck 60 is stiff to reduce weight. Also, in other embodiments,the binding 34 may be fastened with removable fasteners, such bolts andnuts, to allow one to replace the binding 34 with a similar one when thebinding 34 is damaged or with a different binding as desired. Whenpivotally mounted to the cross-member component 46, the crampon 64 andbinding 34 may rotate relative to the cross-member component 46 betweentwo positions (discussed in greater detail in conjunction with FIG. 5)to allow one's foot to rotate relative to the snowshoe 30 as one walks.Thus, much of the frame's contact surface 44 can remain in contact withthe surface of the terrain while the snowshoe 30 bears one's weight.

[0027] Still referring to FIG. 3, the snowshoe 30 may include atelevator 70 to help one ascend a hill. In one embodiment, the televator70 may include a bar 72 that may be pivotally fastened to the peripheralcomponent 42 and held in an extended position (not shown in FIG. 3 butshown in FIG. 5) where the bar 72 is suspended above the deck 60. Thebar 72 may be made of any desirable material capable of supporting one'sweight and may be pivotally fastened to the peripheral component 42using any desired fastening technique also capable of supporting one'sweight. For example, the bar 72 may be made of spring steel, and thetelevator 70 may include a televator mount 74 that pivotally retains thebar 72, holds the bar 72 in the extended position when the bar 72 is sopositioned, and is fastened to the peripheral component 42 using rivets76. In the extended position, the bar 72 may support the heel of one'sfoot above the deck 60 so that one's foot may form an angle relative tothe deck 60. Thus, the televator 70 prevents the heel of one's boot fromcontacting the deck 60 when ascending a hill, and therefore reducesstrain commonly experienced in one's calf muscles when ascending thehill.

[0028]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the frame 32 incorporated in thesnowshoe 30 of FIG. 3, according to an embodiment of the invention. Theframe 32 includes the peripheral component 42 to provide the snowshoetraction and to maintain the snowshoe's shape when traveling over atleast one of the following surfaces (not shown): snow, hard-packed snowand ice. The frame 32 also includes a cross-member component 46 thatextends from a first portion 80 of the peripheral component 42 toward asecond portion 82 of the peripheral component 42 to support theperipheral component 42. The peripheral component 42 has a length thatis measured in the direction indicated by the arrow 84, a height that ismeasured in the direction indicated by the arrow 86 and a width that ismeasured in the direction indicated by the arrow 88. The height isorthogonal to the length, and the width is orthogonal to and intersectsthe height. To provide traction on hard-packed snow or ice whilepreventing the snowshoe 30 from substantially deforming when used totraverse such surfaces, the width is at least 2 times shorter than theheight at all locations 90 (only three locations are shown for claritybut an infinite number exist) along the height. The cross-membercomponent 46 may or may not have the same ratio of width to height.

[0029] The width may be any distance desired and may vary at eachlocation along the height of a cross-section 92 of the peripheralcomponent 42 as desired, or remain constant. In addition, the width ofmany similar cross-sections of the peripheral component 42, eachperpendicular to the length, may vary relative to each other as desiredor not. For example, in one embodiment, the width may be 0.090 inchesand substantially the same along the height of the cross-section 90 andthroughout the length of the peripheral component 42, and the height mayrange from 0.59 inches to 1.1 inches. With the peripheral component 42having substantially the same width throughout the length, theperipheral component 42 may be inexpensively manufactured by cutting orstamping the component 42 from a sheet of material, and then bending thecomponent 42 into the shape desired. In other embodiments, the width mayincrease as its location progresses along the height and in thedirection 86. This may be desirable to further reduce the area of thecontact surface 44 to improve traction on an icy surface. Additionally,in other embodiments, the width along the height of one cross-section 92may be different than the width along another cross-section (not shown)to locally increase the stiffness of the peripheral component 42 tocorrespond to a local increase in the force experienced.

[0030] Still referring to FIG. 4, the peripheral component 42 may bemade from any desired material capable of withstanding the loads exertedon it during use and may be shaped as desired to form the snowshoe 30.For example, in one embodiment the peripheral component 42 may be formedfrom aluminum 7075-T6 and shaped like a rectangle to define an interiorregion 94 of the frame 32 and a perimeter of the snowshoe 30. Thus, theperipheral component 42 can protect the edge of the deck 60 (FIG. 3)which may be desired when traversing through shrubs or a crust of icethat a portrion of the frame 32 may break through. In other embodiments,the frame 32 may be made from other metals or hard, durable plastic andmay be shaped like a teardrop. Additionally, in other embodiments theperipheral component 42 may be made from any desired compositematerials, such as carbon fibers and epoxy.

[0031] Still referring to FIG. 4, the frame 32 may include one or morecross-member components 42 to support the peripheral component 42. Forexample, in one embodiment the frame 32 may include a first cross-membercomponent 96 and a second cross-member component 98 each extending fromthe first portion 80 to the second portion 82. Each cross-membercomponent 96 and 98 may be located in the interior region 94 to alsosupport one's foot, and may be fastened to the peripheral component 42with rivets 100. The first cross-member component 96 may also be coupledwith the crampon 64 (further discuss elsewhere in conjunction with FIG.4) and support the ball of one's foot, and the second cross-membercomponent 98 may support the heel of one's foot. The first cross-membercomponent 96 may include a first end 102 that may be fastened to thefirst portion 80 of the peripheral component 42, and a second end 104that may be fastened to the second portion 82 of the peripheralcomponent 42. The second cross-member component 98 may include a firstend 106 that may be fastened to the first portion 80, and a second end108 that may be fastened to the second portion 82. The ends 102, 104,106 and 108 are configured to absorb energy that may be generated whenthe peripheral component flexes under the strain of one's weight and/oractivity. Each cross-member component 96 and 98 may be made from anydesired material, such as plastic or metal like steel.

[0032] Still referring to FIG. 4, in one embodiment, the secondcross-member component 98 may also include a heel stabilizer 110 to holdthe heel of one's boot to prevent the boot from sliding relative to thecross-member component 98. This may be desirable when traversing acrossa slope of a hill. The heel stabilizer 110 may include a protrusion 112to elastically deform or penetrate one's boot heel to prevent the heelfrom sliding relative to the second cross-member component 98. If thesecond cross-member 98 incorporates the heel stabilizer 110, then thedeck 60 in FIG. 3 may include a slot to allow the protrusions of theheel stabilizer 110 to contact one's boot heel.

[0033] Still referring to FIG. 4, to improve traction, the peripheralcomponent 42 may include a traction element 114, and the cross-membercomponent 46 may include a cross-member traction element 116. Thetraction element 94 may extend as desired along the length of theperipheral component 42. For example, in one embodiment, the tractionelement 114 extends along the first and second portions 80 and 82,respectively, and may include one or more protrusions 118 (only 11referenced in FIG. 4 for clarity) to focus pressure on an icy orhard-packed surface. Each cross-member component 96 and 98 may include arespective cross-member traction element 116 that may extend most of thedistance between the first portion 80 and the second portion 82. Eachcross-member traction element 116 may include one or more protrusions120 (only 4 referenced in FIG. 4 for clarity) to focus pressure on anicy or hard-packed surface.

[0034] The pressure is typically generated by one's weight whilestanding or walking on the snowshoe 30. By focusing the pressure, eachprotrusion that contacts an icy surface may locally melt the ice underthe protrusion—much like ice skates do—to penetrate the icy surface, ormay penetrate the icy surface without locally melting the ice—much likeice picks do. Once the icy surface is penetrated the ice surrounding thetip of the protrusion may prevent the frame from slipping relative tothe surface. If the surface is hard-packed snow, each protrusion thatcontacts the surface may penetrate the surface without locally meltingthe snow.

[0035] Still referring to FIG. 4, the crampon 64 may be mounted to theframe 32 to improve the snowshoe's traction. In one embodiment, thecrampon 64 includes one or more protrusions 122, may be pivotallymounted to the first cross-member component 96 via a crampon mount 124that may be fastened to the first cross-member component 96 with anydesired fastening technique, such as rivets. The crampon mount 122 mayinclude two flanges 126, each having a hole (omitted for clarity) thatreceives a respective one of the pins 128. The crampon 64 may include abody 130 that includes two flanges 132, each corresponding with one ofthe crampon mount flanges 126, and each having a hole (omitted forclarity) that receives a respective one of the pins 128 to pivotallymount the crampon 64 to the first cross-member component 96.

[0036] When pivotally mounted to the first cross-member component 96,the crampon 64 may rotate relative to the first cross-member component96 between two positions (discussed in greater detail in conjunctionwith FIG. 5) to allow one's foot to rotate relative to the snowshoe 30as one walks. To prevent the crampon from rotating too far, the crampon64 includes a crampon stop 134. In one embodiment, the crampon 64includes two crampon stops 134, each extending from a respective one ofthe flanges 132. Thus, each crampon stop 134 rotates relative to thefirst cross-member component 96 as the crampon 64 rotates. To preventthe crampon 64 from rotating past a desired limit (discussed in greaterdetail in conjunction with FIG. 5), one or both crampon stops 134contacts the crampon mount 124 and/or the first cross-member component96 (shown in phantom in FIG. 5).

[0037]FIG. 5 is a side view of the snowshoe 30 in FIG. 3, according toan embodiment of the invention. The binding 34 may rotate relative tothe first cross-member component 96 (FIG. 4), as shown in the phantomline and solid line illustrations of an embodiment of the binding 34, toallow one's foot to rotate relative to the snowshoe 30 as one walks. Thesolid line illustration of the binding 34 shows the position of thebinding 34 when one stands on the snowshoe 30. In this position, one'sweight is supported by both cross-member components 96 and 98 (FIG. 4).The phantom illustration of the binding 34 shows the position of thebinding 34 at its maximum rotation away from the second cross-membercomponent 98. In this position, one or both of the crampon stops 134(only one shown for clarity) contacts the crampon mount 124 (FIG. 4)and/or the first cross-member component 96 to prevent the crampon 64from further rotating away from the second cross-member component 98.

[0038] The angle α between the two positions may be any angle desired.In one embodiment, the angle α may be 67.50 to allow one to bettercontrol the snowshoe 30 when one lifts the snowshoe 30 off a surface tomove and relocate the snowshoe 30 on the surface for a next step. With αat 67.50 the crampon stop 134 may also prevent the tip 136 of thesnowshoe 30 from hitting one's shin when one lifts the snowshoe 30 off asurface to take another step.

[0039] Still referring to FIG. 5, the televator 70 may rotate relativeto the peripheral component 42 as shown by the phantom line and solidline illustrations of an embodiment of the televator 70. The solid lineillustration of the televator 70 shows the position of the televator 70when one traverses flat or substantially flat terrain. In this position,the televator 70 is located on or just above the deck 60 (not shown inFIG. 5; shown in FIG. 3) to keep the televator 70 from interfering withthe rotation of one's foot relative to the first cross-member component96 as one traverses a surface. The phantom line illustration of thetelevator 70 shows the position of the televator 70 when one ascends aslope of a hill. In this position, the televator 70 is extended abovethe deck 60 to support the one's heel above the deck and prevent theheel from further moving toward the second cross-member component 98.Thus, the televator 70 may reduce the strain experienced in one's a calfmuscles when ascending a slope of a hill.

[0040]FIG. 6 is a plan view of one of many deck clips 62 incorporated inthe snowshoe 30 of FIG. 3, according to an embodiment of the invention.The deck clip 62 couples the deck 60 with the peripheral component 42 inthe interior region 94. Thus, the peripheral component 42 may providethe deck 60 additional protections. For example, if the deck 60 overlapsthe peripheral component 42 similar to the deck 12 (FIG. 2) overlappingthe frame 14 (FIG. 2), then the deck 60 could be damaged by contact witha snowshoe fastened to one's other foot, with shrubs kicked with thesnowshoe 30 or other similar types of contact.

[0041] The deck clip 62 may be made from any desired material and may beconfigured as desired to couple the deck 60 within the interior region94. In one embodiment, the deck clip 62 may be made from aluminum7075-T6 and may include an end 136 that the deck 60 may be fastened to,and a head 138 that couples the end 136 with the peripheral component42. The peripheral component 42 may include a slot 140 that is sized topermit the end 136 to be inserted into the interior region 94 throughthe slot 140, but to not permit the head 138 to be inserted into theregion 94 through the slot 140. Thus, when the end 136 extends throughthe slot 140 into the interior region 94, the head 138 prevents the deckclip 62 from passing through the slot. The deck 60 may be fastened tothe end 136 using any desired fastening technique such as a rivet 142 orother permanent type fasteners, or a removable type fastener.

[0042] Other embodiments of coupling the deck 60 with the peripheralcomponent 42 are contemplated. For example, the deck 60 may be tied tothe peripheral component 42. In one embodiment, the deck 60 may includea tab that one may extend through the slot 140 and then over a topportion of the peripheral component 42 to be tied to its self. Inanother embodiment, the peripheral component 42 may include two slotsand the deck 60 may include a tab that one may extend through both slotsand then force the slots closed to pinch the tab and thus couple thedeck 60 with the peripheral component 42.

[0043]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a frame 160 according to anotherembodiment of the invention. The frame 160 is similar to the frame 32discussed elsewhere herein but does not include a cross-member component(46 in FIGS. 3 and 4). The frame 160 does include a peripheral component162, which is similar to the peripheral component 42 discussed elsewhereherein, to provide a snowshoe (not shown) traction and to maintain thesnowshoe's shape when traveling over at least one of the followingsurfaces (not shown): snow, hard-packed snow and ice. The peripheralcomponent 162 may be mounted to a deck 164 that is stiff to support theperipheral component 162; or the peripheral component 160 may not.Additionally or alternatively, the peripheral component 162 may includea stiffener 166 to stiffen the peripheral component 162 or theperipheral component 162 may not.

[0044] If the peripheral component 162 is mounted to a stiff deck 164,the deck 60 may be made of any desired material and may be coupled withthe peripheral component 162 using any desired fastening technique. Forexample, the deck 164 may be made of any desired metal such as aluminumand steel, or any desired hard plastic, and deck clips 168 similar tothe deck clips 62 in FIGS. 3 and 6 may couple the deck 164 with theperipheral component 162. In other embodiments, the deck 164 may be madeof a flexible material such as urethane coated nylon cloth, andconventional fasteners such as rivets, bolts or adhesives may couple thedeck 164 with the peripheral component 162. If the peripheral component162 includes a stiffener 166, the stiffener may be shaped as desired,and formed as a part of the peripheral component 162 or mounted to theperipheral component 162. For example, in one embodiment, the peripheralcomponent 162 may include a stiffener 166 that is formed as a part ofthe peripheral component 162. The stiffener 166 may have a cross-sectionthat includes a “U” shape and may extend in a direction along theperipheral component's length. In other embodiments, the stiffener mayhave a cross-section that includes other shapes such as a “V”, and mayextend in other directions, such as along the peripheral component'sheight or a combination of the component's height and length.Alternatively or additionally, the stiffener may be a piece of materialthat is adjacent and mounted to the peripheral component 162 to stiffenthe frame 160. Furthermore, the peripheral component 162 may includemore than one stiffener 166.

What is claimed is:
 1. A frame for a snowshoe having a shape, the framecomprising: a peripheral component having a length, a height orthogonalto the length, and a width orthogonal to and intersecting the height andat least two times shorter than the height at all locations along theheight, wherein the peripheral component provides traction when theframe contacts at least one of the following surfaces: snow, hard-packedsnow and ice, and wherein the peripheral component maintains thesnowshoe's shape when a person uses the snowshoe to travel across atleast one of the following surfaces: snow, hard-packed snow and ice; anda cross-member component that extends from a first portion of theperipheral component toward a second portion of the peripheral componentto support the peripheral component.
 2. The frame of claim 1 wherein thewidth is substantially the same at all locations along the height. 3.The frame of claim 1 wherein the width is substantially the same at alllocations along the height of each cross-section of the peripheralcomponent that is perpendicular to the length.
 4. The frame of claim 1wherein the peripheral component defines a perimeter of the snowshoe. 5.The frame of claim 1 wherein the width is 0.090 inches.
 6. The frame ofclaim 1 wherein the width is 0.090 inches and the height is at least0.59 inches.
 7. The frame of claim 1 wherein the peripheral componentincludes a traction element to improve the frame's traction.
 8. Theframe of claim 1 wherein the peripheral component includes a tractionelement having a protrusion to focus pressure on at least one of thefollowing surfaces: snow, hard-packed snow and ice, to improve theframe's traction.
 9. The frame of claim 1 wherein the cross-membercomponent includes a cross-member traction element to improve theframe's traction.
 10. The frame of claim 1 wherein the cross-membercomponent includes a cross-member traction element having a protrusionto focus pressure on at least one of the following surfaces: snow,hard-packed snow and ice, to improve the frame's traction.
 11. The frameof claim 1 wherein the cross-member component is operable to receive acrampon to improve the frame's traction.
 12. The frame of claim 1wherein the cross-member component extends from the first portion of theframe through an interior region defined by the peripheral component toan opposing second portion of the frame.
 13. The frame of claim 1wherein the cross-member component includes a first end attached to thefirst portion of the peripheral component, and a second end attached tothe second portion of the peripheral component.
 14. The frame of claim 1wherein the cross-member component includes a heel stabilizer to holdthe heel of a boot to prevent the boot from sliding relative to thecross-member component.
 15. The frame of claim 1 wherein thecross-member component includes a heel stabilizer having a protrusionoperable to deform a portion of a boot's sole to prevent the boot fromsliding relative to the cross-member component.
 16. The frame of claim 1wherein the frame includes two cross-member components to support theperipheral component: a first cross-member component that extends fromthe first portion of the frame through an interior region defined by theperipheral component to the second portion of the frame, that includes across-member traction element to improve the frame's traction, and thatis operable to receive a crampon to improve the frame's traction, and asecond cross-member component that also extends from the first portionof the frame through the interior region to the second portion of theframe, and that includes a cross-member traction element to improve theframe's traction, and a heel-stabilizer to hold the heel of a boot toprevent the boot from sliding relative to the second cross-membercomponent.
 17. A snowshoe comprising: a frame including: a peripheralcomponent having a length, a height orthogonal to the length, and awidth orthogonal to and intersecting the height and at least two timesshorter than the height at all locations along the height, wherein theperipheral component provides traction when the frame contacts at leastone of the following surfaces: snow, hard-packed snow and ice, andwherein the peripheral component maintains the snowshoe's shape when aperson uses the snowshoe to travel across at least one of the followingsurfaces: snow, hard-packed snow and ice, and a cross-member componentthat extends from a first portion of the peripheral component toward asecond portion of the peripheral component to support the peripheralcomponent; a deck coupled with the frame and operable to buoy thesnowshoe on a surface of snow; and a binding operable to fasten a bootto the snowshoe.
 18. The snowshoe of claim 17 wherein the snowshoe isoperable to traverse across an icy slope of a hill.
 19. The snowshoe ofclaim 17 wherein the deck includes a flexible material.
 20. The snowshoeof claim 19 wherein the flexible material includes nylon cloth coatedwith urethane.
 21. The snowshoe of claim 17 further comprising a deckclip operable to couple the deck with the frame.
 22. The snowshoe ofclaim 21 wherein the deck clip extends from the peripheral element intoan interior region defined by the peripheral element, and includes anend located in the interior region operable to fasten the deck.
 23. Thesnowshoe of claim 17 further comprising a crampon to improve thesnowshoe's traction.
 24. The snowshoe of claim 17 further comprising acrampon to improve the snowshoe's traction, wherein the crampon ismounted to the cross-member component and pivotable relative to thecross-member component, and includes a crampon stop operable to stop therotation of the crampon.
 25. The snowshoe of claim 17 wherein the frameincludes two cross-member components to support the peripheral element:a first cross member that extends from the first portion of the framethrough an interior region defined by the peripheral element to thesecond portion of the frame, and includes a cross-member tractionelement to improve the snowshoe's traction, and that has a cramponmounted to it to improve the snowshoe's traction, and a second crossmember that also extends from the first portion of the frame through theinterior region to the second portion of the frame, and that includes across-member traction component operable to improve the second crossmember's traction, and a heel stabilizer component operable to hold theheel of a boot from sliding relative to the second cross-membercomponent.
 26. The snowshoe of claim 17 further comprising a televatoroperable to suspend a heel of the foot above the frame.
 27. The snowshoeof claim 17 further comprising a televator mounted to the peripheralelement and pivotable relative to the peripheral element to an extendedposition to suspend a heel of the foot above the frame.
 28. The snowshoeof claim 17 wherein the binding includes a strap and a retention elementto fasten and release the boot to and from the snowshoe, wherein theretention element is operable to fasten and release the strap withoutremoving a glove from a hand.
 29. The snowshoe of claim 28 wherein theretention element is separable from the strap to allow one to fasten theboot to the snowshoe by stepping between the strap and the retentionelement.
 30. A method for moving across a surface: mounting a snowshoeto a foot; placing the snowshoe on a surface; supporting one's weightwith a peripheral component and a cross-member component of a frame ofthe snowshoe, wherein the peripheral component has a length, a heightorthogonal to the length, and a width orthogonal to and intersecting theheight and at least two times shorter than the height at all locationsalong the height; and traversing the surface.
 31. The method of claim 30wherein the surface includes snow.
 32. The method of claim 30 whereinthe surface includes ice.
 33. The method of claim 30 wherein the surfaceincludes hard-packed snow.
 34. The method of claim 30 wherein mountingthe snowshoe to the foot includes fastening a strap of a binding with aretention element of the binding.
 35. The method of claim 34 whereinfastening the strap with the retention element includes inserting thestrap through an access passage of the retention element to dispose thestrap in a main passage of the retention element.
 36. The method ofclaim 30 wherein supporting one's weight includes improving the tractionof the snowshoe with a traction element of the peripheral component. 37.The method of claim 36 wherein improving the traction of the snowshoeincludes: exerting pressure on the surface with the traction element,and focusing the exerted pressure with a protrusion of the tractionelement.
 38. The method of claim 30 wherein supporting one's weightincludes improving the traction of the snowshoe with a cross-membertraction element of the cross-member component.
 39. The method of claim38 wherein improving the traction of the snowshoe includes: exertingpressure on the surface with the cross-member traction element, andfocusing the exerted pressure with a protrusion of the cross-membertraction element.
 40. The method of claim 30 wherein supporting one'sweight includes improving the traction of the snowshoe with a cramponmounted to the frame.
 41. The method of claim 30 wherein supporting oneweight includes maintaining the snowshoe's shape when traversing atleast one of the following surfaces: snow, hard-packed snow and ice. 42.The method of claim 30 wherein traversing the surface includes at leastone of the following: traversing across a slope of a hill, ascending aslope of a hill and descending a slope of a hill.
 43. The method ofclaim 41 wherein traversing the surface includes: pivoting the snowshoerelative to the foot, lifting the snowshoe above the surface, andstopping the snowshoe from pivoting beyond a limit with a crampon stopof the crampon.
 44. A frame for a snowshoe having a shape, the framecomprising: a peripheral component having a length, a height orthogonalto the length, and a width orthogonal to and intersecting the height andat least two times shorter than the height at all locations along theheight, wherein the peripheral component provides traction when theframe contacts at least one of the following surfaces: snow, hard-packedsnow and ice, and wherein the peripheral component maintains thesnowshoe's shape when a person uses the snowshoe to travel across atleast one of the following surfaces: snow, hard-packed snow and ice. 45.The frame of claim 59 wherein the width is substantially the same at alllocations along the height.
 46. The frame of claim 59 wherein the widthis substantially the same at all locations along the height of eachcross-section of the peripheral component that is perpendicular to thelength.
 47. The frame of claim 59 wherein the peripheral componentincludes a stiffener to stiffen the peripheral component.
 48. The frameof claim 59 wherein the stiffener is formed as a part of the peripheralcomponent.
 49. The frame of claim 59 wherein the peripheral component ismountable to a deck that includes solid material to support theperipheral component.